Fifteen female Kurdish rebels were killed Saturday in clashes with Turkish security forces in southeastern Turkey, officials said.

The deadly clash came just one day after the Turkish army and police wrapped up a massive offensive against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) near the Iraqi border.

Saturday's death toll is believed to be the highest number of female PKK casualties at any one time. It also brings the number of Kurdish rebels killed in less than a week to 21.

The killings occurred in the rural area of the province of Bitlis, a center of the armed rebellion being waged by the PKK, according to the official Anatolia news agency.

The PKK, deemed terrorists by Turkey and much of the international community, took up arms in the southeastern part of Turkey with a Kurdish majority in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed some 45,000 lives.

Death toll rises

The PKK has a number of women-only units, and Saturday's clash wiped out one of them, a local security source said.

The ministry statement also said a member of a local Kurdish force armed by Turkeywas killed, and three others were wounded in the fighting.

On Friday, Turkish security forces concluded their largest operation this year against PKK militants. The offensive in the Mount Cudi area near the Iraqi border involved thousands of police and army soldiers, leaving seven policemen and six rebels dead.

Government strategy changes

According to Turkish media, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government has changed its approach to dealing with the rebels. They have reportedly halted all direct contact with the PKK in a bid to crush the movement.

It has also ceased all contact with PKK rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been serving a life sentence since 1999.

In 2009, the Turkish government embraced a policy of openness towards the PKK, even offering direct talks between government and PKK leaders. But that approach is now a memory.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to take a harder line and has intensified a military and judicial offensive to deal with the group.

tm/slk (AP, AFP)